Change management includes the methods or manners in which an organization implements change, whether internally or externally. This includes preparing and supporting employees, establishing necessary steps for change, and monitoring pre- and post-change activities to ensure successful implementation.

Understanding the dynamics of organizational change is an important leadership quality. Change is inevitable, and organizations must remain adaptable to best navigate the dynamics of public management. The benefits of effective change management include:

• Increased Productivity: Effective change management minimizes inefficiencies during transitions and reduces disruptions to existing workflows.
• Employee Engagement: Change can be unsettling for employees, but engaged managers can help employees contribute positively to the change process.
• Reduced Resistance: Change provides opportunities to identify, understand, and address resistance, fostering a more cooperative and supportive workplace.
• Strategic Alignment: Managers can ensure that changes align with an organization’s vision, making the transformation both purposeful and strategic.
• Innovation and Growth: Individuals skilled in change management are better positioned to lead and support initiatives that drive innovation.
• Risk Mitigation: Learning change management helps organizations identify potential risks early in the process and develop strategies to mitigate them.

In summary, learning change management is not just about handling transitions; it’s about creating a resilient, adaptive, and forward-thinking organizational culture that can thrive in an ever-changing world.

According to the Harvard Business School, organizational change can be either adaptive or transformational:

• Adaptive changes are small, gradual, or iterative changes that evolve products, processes, workflows, or strategies over time. Hiring a new team member to address increased demand or implementing a new work-from-home policy to attract more qualified job applicants are both examples of adaptive changes.
• Transformational changes are larger in scale and scope and often signify a dramatic (or sometimes sudden) departure from the status quo. Examples of transformational change are: launching a new product or business division, or deciding to expand internationally..

There are five key steps in the change management process.

Prepare for Change

In addition to the logistical (technical) aspects of change management, there is a cultural component. Before attempting to make a change to your organization, it might be helpful to perform a change-readiness assessment.

To make sure your organization is culturally ready for a change, ask yourself:

• Do employees recognize and understand the need for change?
• Is there “buy-in” from those who will implement the change?
• Does your work environment encourage creative thinking?
• What is your organization’s tolerance level for risk?
• Is there a high level of trust between leaders and employees and among units?

Often, the most important thing a manager can do is not to identify the need for change (and how it will affect job responsibilities) but to provoke the momentum to begin and maintain the change. Give people a reason to move out of their comfort zone.

Craft a Vision

Once your organization is ready to embrace change, it is time to introduce the new idea by developing a plan for bringing it about. According to the Harvard Business School, the plan should detail:

• Strategic Goals: What, specifically, are you working toward? Are your goals in line with your organization’s mission, vision, and values?
• Performance Indicators: How will success be measured? Do you have good metrics on how things currently stand?
• Stakeholders: Who is responsible for implementing the change? If necessary, who will oversee “maintenance” after the project is completed?
• Project Scope: What specific steps and actions will the project include? What falls outside of the project scope?

Implementation

After your change plan has been made, all that remains is to follow it. During the implementation process, focus on empowering employees and celebrating accomplishments. Here, clear and focused communication is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

While it’s important to have a structured approach, your change plan should also be flexible to account for unforeseen issues during the implementation process. Listen to people’s objections, concerns, fears, or perceived losses, and continue to ask yourself:

• Does everyone understand the opportunities and challenges the change presents?
• Have you provided the necessary skills and knowledge training to complete the change?
• Are there any hidden barriers that are preventing or hindering the change?
• Do you have the necessary technology in place to complete the change?
• Is the correct human capital in place to sustain the change?
• Is there any remaining anxiety or confusion surrounding the change?

Repeated communication of the organization’s vision is critical throughout the implementation process to remind team members why change is being pursued.

Embed in Organizational Culture

Once you’ve completed the change initiative, don’t go back to the status quo. Make sure workflows, strategies, controls, and reward systems all support the change. By embedding a positive change mindset within your organization’s culture and practices, it becomes more difficult for backsliding to occur. To sustain the change, consider:

• How will losses be grieved and how will gains be recognized and celebrated?
• How will the momentum of the change be sustained?
• Are new ideas, behaviors, or expectations needed to preserve the change?
• Where will people find stability, focus, and clarity after the change?
• Will employees be encouraged to challenge the status quo – even the new status quo?

No matter how thoroughly you prepare for change, issues or concerns will inevitably occur. Empower employees to modify their behavior by removing the obstacles that prevent them from working toward change. Once those hindrances are identified, even the most complex problems can be addressed and corrected.

Review Progress

Just because a change initiative is complete doesn’t mean the change process is finished. Conducting a “project post mortem,” can help you understand if a change initiative was a success and offer insights for your next change effort. As you wrap up project implementation, ask yourself:

• Were project goals met?
• If yes, can this success be replicated elsewhere?
• If not, what went wrong?

No one is born with expertise in managing organizational change; it’s a skill that takes hands-on experience to build.

Additional Information & Resources

Videos

• Podcast – Cautionary Tales, Office Hell: the Demise of the Playful Workspace

Books

• Change Basics by Jeffrey and Linda Russell (2006)
• Managing Transitions by William Bridges (1991)
• Managing at the Speed of Change by Daryl R. Conner (1992)